New print technologies drive checkout changes

An increasing emphasis on the environment has lead to developments in eco-friendly, budget-friendly receipt printing technologies.

The last decade has seen seismic changes in the retail industry, and nowhere is this more evident than in terms of shoppers’ experience at the checkout. Driven in part by customer expectations and retailers’ need for operational efficiency, recent years have seen innovations such as the introduction of multiple checkout options, and streamlined point-of-sale procedures driven by developments in printer technology.

By the start of this century, most retailers had made the switch from impact to thermal receipt printers. Speed was the main driver of this change. Thermal receipt printers’ fast print speeds, small footprint and reliability have helped retailers deliver a better customer service at the checkout.

Thermal receipt printers are still the first choice for retailers but the last few years have seen the need for speed supplemented by environmental concerns. As part of the move towards sustainable retailing, many retailers have now placed environmental considerations at the heart of their point-of-sale technology renewal plans.

In line with this, printer manufacturers are developing ways of lowering the environmental impact of retail technology, with more eco-friendly thermal printer models offering reduced power consumption and paper use.

The noughties saw the introduction of ENERGY STAR® - an international standard for energy-efficient products. By adopting ENERGY STAR®-qualified technology, retailers can cut running costs and boost profitability, while reducing the carbon footprint of stores.

This year, the world’s first ENERGY STAR®-qualified thermal receipt printer was launched by Epson. Using less than 1W of power on standby, it can represent significant operational cost savings for larger retailers.

Environmental concerns

In the future, manufacturers will also be measured against benchmarks for every stage of a printer’s lifecycle, including manufacturing, transport, use and disposal. A manufacturer’s ability to offer a solution that meets or exceeds these standards will be a key differentiator.

Although thermal print technology is becoming increasingly eco-friendly, the new breed of inkjet receipt printers offer even better environmental credentials. And in the last decade, the use of inkjet print technology at the checkout has grown in popularity with retailers.

Not only do inkjet receipt printers address green issues with their use of plain and recyclable paper, which can reduce the cost of a till roll by up to 50%, they offer two key advantages for retailers in relation to security and promotional activity. Inkjet print technology allows for the use of special secure inks, which will prove an important reason for the continuing adoption of inkjets printers at the checkout.

With UK retailers facing a significant increase in levels of theft and fraud, a key trend will be the use of secure ink as a weapon in the fight against in-store receipt and credit note fraud. Inkjet receipt printers with secure ink technology are already in use with major retailers including the Post Office, which uses a custom solution from Epson to print secure items such as postal orders.

The adoption of inkjet receipt printers and their colour capabilities means that receipts are increasingly becoming an important marketing and brand-reinforcement tool. With consumers more likely to retain and use a colour coupon than a black-and-white one, colour point-of-sale coupon printing will become an important element in retail customer strategy.

The coming years will see the widespread adoption of colour inkjet receipt printing, with retailers fully exploiting the technology in line with their environmental, operational, and security strategies. In the meantime, retailers should take steps to ensure that their receipt printing solution is as effective as possible in reducing environmental impact and operating costs.